Tire mounting and demounting tool.



1.]. ()BRlEN. Tm'rl MOUNHNG AND DEMOUNTING TOOL. APPLICATION FILED IUNE21. 1915. 1,197,758. mmnmmn.12,1916.

2 SHEETS*SHEET L "WWI J. J. OBRIEN.

TIRE MOUNTING AND DiMOUNTlNG TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21.1915. 1,1 97,758. Patented Sept. 12,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JOHN J.

OBRIELI OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI.

TIRE MOUNTING AND DEMOUNTING TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916 Application filed June 21, 1915. Serial No. 35,278.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN J. OBRIEN, acitizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tire Mounting andDemounting Tools, of which the following is a specification containinga. full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in tools for mounting anddemounting tires,

and my object is to construct a simple, in-

expensive and easily operated tool to expedite, and minimize the effortin, the expansion and contraction of a rim in the mounting anddemounting of pneumatic tires.

With the above object in view, my improvements consist in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described,pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a tool .embody-' ing myimprovements and a portion of a rim, shown in section, one set of theIlIll engaging deviccs being broken away; Fig. 2.

is an levatiorntaken at right angles to Fig. 1,'showingthe complete toolin a folded position; Fig. 3 is an elevation, taken at right angles toFig. 1, showing certain of the parts in section; Fig. 4 is a sectionalplan taken on the line H of Fig 1; Fig 5 is an inverted plan of thedevice as shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 shows my improved tool as applied to arim in its expended or normal circular shape; and Fig. 7 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 6 showing the rim contracted to permit removal of thetire.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 10 and 11 designatethe body portions of the tool, each of which has at its one end aperforated ear 12 and an car 13, the ears 12 providing a hinging meansfor the bodies, whereby to permit folding when not in use and the ears13 providing means together with a .bolt 14 for locking the bodiesagainst hinging when alined or extended for use .At the said hinged endof each of the bodies 10 and 11 between the ears 12 and 13, andextending other a left hand thread to receive the threaded staffs 16 and17-.

In the outer end of each stafl'16-and 17 thereis a threaded seat 18, inwhich are located the threaded stems 19, each of which has at its outerend a head 20, and wings 21, and on the outer face of each head there isa section 22 of material such as soft metal, which when brought to bearagainst the rim Will not mar the finish of the rim.

The stafis 16 and 17 are reduced in thickness between their threadedportions and the portions containing the seats 18 and perforated toreceive rivets, on each of which there is mounted a "pair of tongs 23,eachpart of which tongs has at its free 'end a hook 24 which engagesover the flange 25 of a rim andnext adjacent the hook a shoulder 26which prevents the hook from 'extending'too far over the rim flange tostand in the way of the tire in mounting or demounting, as well as toserve (in pairs) to hold the head 20 centered with relation to the rim.

The numerals 27 designate collars, one of which is mounted forlengthwise movement on each stem 19 and as shown in Fig. 1, each isprovided with a key-Way, which together with a key 28 formed integralwith 'each stem prevents rotation of the collars. On each collar thereare the diametrically opposite ears 29 and pivotally connecting each ear29 with each part of the tongs 23 is a link 30. Each collar carries aset screw 31, whereby to secure the collars against lengthwise movementon the stems and by preference the faces of the keys 28 are providedwith seats'to receive the ends of the set screws.

As shown in Fig. 6 and 7, the toolis placed diametrically of the rim andis intended for use only on the rims of the non continuous type whichare to be distorted from their normal circular shapes to facilitate thefreeing of tires therefrom.

In brief my tool is a turnbuckle having means at its ends for engaging arim at diametrically opposite points to expand the rim from acentracted, non-circular,-shape to a normal circular shape in themounting of a tire, and a pair of tongs at each end of the turnbuckle tohook over the rim for the purpose of.contracting or distorting it fromits normal circular shape to free at least a portion of it from thetire.

Assuming the tire to be placed on a rim, contracted or distorted fromits normal circular shape, as shown in Fig. 7, the tool is placed asshown, and lengthened or shortened by its various threaded elementsuntil both heads 20 are brought to engage the inner perimeter of therim, the one head engaging the rim near its break joint and the otherhead at a diametrically opposite point. The tongs are then swung ontheir pivots to bring their outer, free, hooked ends to engage over theflanges of the rim, where they are looked through the links 30, collar27 and set screw 31. This locking of the hooked tong ends to the flangesof the rim not only prevents spreading of the tongs when in use but thelocked tongs hold the heads centered on the rim, to the end that whenoutward pressure is applied to the heads through a manipulation of theturnbuckle the heads will not slip laterally. The levers of theturn-buckle are then grasped and the two bodies rotated relative to thethreaded staffs, and the tool as a. whole lengthened out, thus spreadingthe rim to circular shape. It is to be noted here that the tongsengaging the rim hold the threaded staffs against turning while thebodies are being turned, and that the keyed-collars relieve the links 30from torsional strains.

The operation of contracting the rim is accomplished by placing the toolas described and turning the bodies in a direction relative to the fixedstaffs to shorten the tool and through the tongs contract the rim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a tool of the class described, a turn buckle, comprising a rigidbody having oppositely internally threaded seats and a pair of threadedstaffs, a headed stem having a threaded connection with each staff, apair of tongs carried by each staff and means for locking the tongsagainst movement.

2. In a tire mounting and. demountiiig tool, a turn buckle comprising apair of rigid bodies having hinge connections at their one end andoppositely threaded seats at their other ends and a threaded staff ineach seat, means for holding the rigid bodies against relative movementwhen brought to alinement, a headed stem having threaded connection witheach staff, a pair of tongs having hooks at their ends, pivotallyconnected with each staff, a collar keyed to each stem and free. to movelengthwise thereof, a set screw carried by each collar to lock itagainst movement relative'its stem, and a link connection between eachcollar and each pair of tongs.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. OBRIEN.

WVitnesses:

E. L. WALLACE, R. G. ()RWIG.

